Connected consumers in Vietnam are more trusting than those in regional neighbours when it comes to online activities, according to Kantar TNS’ latest Connected Life research. In comparison with the rest of the world, they are less sceptical of the content they see and more accepting of brands online.

Kantar TNS surveyed 70,000 people across 56 countries and conducted 104 in-depth interviews as part of the 2017 Connected Life study. The research explored consumer trust in brands in relation to four themes, namely technology, content, data, and e-commerce.

Accordingly, 54 per cent of Vietnamese consumers trust big global brands. However, consumer trust falls significantly in developed markets like Australia and New Zealand, where the same figure is only 19 and 21 per cent, respectively.

The findings show that optimism around connectivity is still high in Vietnam. Only 18 per cent of Vietnamese respondents have concerns about the amount of personal data brands have on them, compared to 40 per cent globally and as high as 56 per cent in Australia.

Besides, only 20 per cent are adverse to connected devices monitoring their activities online if it makes their lives easier, compared to 56 per cent of consumers in Korea and 62 per cent in New Zealand. For the most part, consumers in Vietnam have not yet realised the trade-offs intrinsic to a connected lifestyle that have caused consumers in other countries to become more cynical about the way companies are using their personal information.

“Connected consumers in Vietnam are still enjoying the first wave of digital interaction with brands. Thanks to the rapid rise of mobile phones in the country, large numbers of people are coming online for the first time, many of them using social media channels as their main access point to the internet. This means that brands are appearing in the same space as their friends and are currently being treated in a similar way—with openness and acceptance," said Ashish Kanchan, managing director of Kantar TNS in Vietnam.

"Now is a great time for brands to demonstrate how much value they can add to people’s lives via online channels and build these relationships from the ground up. However, brands do need to make sure they are not overly intrusive in this space to ensure they maintain this trusted position,” Ashish Kanchan added.

The mobile-first environment of Vietnam has also resulted in connected consumers who are willing to try newer forms of interaction with brands. Accordingly, 39 per cent of consumers are happy to interact with chatbots online, with only 22 per cent saying that they want brands to have an offline presence. This acceptance of AI-powered interaction is far higher than in other countries in the region. In Australia, for example, only 22 per cent accept chatbots as a form of brand interaction.

However, this progressive view on digital interaction does not translate into mobile payments. Only 14 per cent of Vietnamese respondents said that they are willing to pay for products using their mobile phone, compared to the global 39 per cent. With a high population of unbanked consumers, cash is king in Vietnam. Innovative solutions and financial literacy are needed to overcome local barriers and entice people to start using newer payment options.

“Trust is fragile. Brands in emerging countries see higher levels of consumer trust today than those in developed ones, but they should not take it for granted. To build and protect trust, brands need to put the customer first. This means understanding their motivations, understanding the right moments to engage with them, recognising that their time is valuable, and being more transparent about how and when they collect and use their personal data. Above all, it means putting the customer first—something that many marketers have forgotten to do,” said Michael Nicholas, global lead of Connected Solutions, Kantar TNS.

Kantar TNS is one of the world’s largest research agencies with experts in over 90 countries. With expertise in innovation, brand and communication, shopper activation, and customer relationships, the company helps clients identify, optimise, and activate the moments that matter to drive growth for their business.

Connected Life is Kantar TNS’ annual study of digital behaviour, based on quantitative interviews with 70,000 consumers across 56 countries and over 100 qualitative interviews across 12 countries.

Study content includes media consumption, device infrastructure, digital activities, respondent profiles, brand engagement touch points, drivers of e-commerce, deep dive into social networks, and attitudes to brands and technology. In Vietnam, 1,000 quantitative interviews were conducted between May and August 2017.